A new report finds that 38 utilities in Texas are supplying water with radium levels above the legal limit.
THIS WEEK: Water in the small Central Texas town of Brady has the highest radium levels in the state — almost double the legal limit set by the EPA, according to a new report. But Kim Lenoir, the city manager in charge of cleaning up Brady’s water supply, says she isn’t alarmed. In fact, Lenoir, who moved to town four years ago, says she still drinks the tap water.
In our latest feature, Daniel Blue Tyx reports on the booming adult day care industry in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Valley is home to 40 percent of the adult day care centers in Texas — twice as many as in metro Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin combined.
Nationally, the number of adult day care participants has increased 63 percent since 2002, even as nursing home occupancy has flatlined. The Valley today may offer a glimpse at what health care for older Americans will look like in the future.
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From the archives
The Thin Purple Line
After a controversial raid on a West Texas smoke shop, nothing is hazier than the truth.
From the 2014 story: "Sitting in county jail, Lipsen was convinced the town was simply trying to chase her out—because some locals didn’t approve of her business, or because she was Jewish, or even because of her Arabian horses—and she told local reporters as much. In a town full of libertarians who’d grown wary of the police presence near the border, Lipsen’s cause struck a chord. The allegations of a ham-handed raid by federal agents riled crusty libertarians who might otherwise have been glad to see Lipsen pack up her shop and leave town. The federal officials who helped carry out the raid weren’t pleased."
What’s Happening at the Observer
The Texas Observer and the Texas Democracy Foundation are accepting entries for the 2018 MOLLY National Journalism Prize. The MOLLY Prize is an annual national print or online journalism award of $5,000 with two honorable mentions of $1,000 each to be presented by the Texas Democracy Foundation and the Texas Observer in memory of Molly Ivins. Application details here.
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